(201) Magazine Blogs

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Michael Del Zotto could not begin working out this offseason until mid- to late-June after breaking a finger late in April with Connecticut (AHL). Still, the extensive workout routine he used this summer - two to three workouts a day - under the supervision and guidance of strength and conditioning coach Reg Grant is plainly evident. No longer a teenager, Del Zotto, 21, appears much bigger in his upper body.

Whether any of this leads to Del Zotto regaining a permanent spot among the Rangers defense corps - it’s likely they’ll have seven on the opening day roster - is not yet clear.

“Just trying to get healthy, that was the big thing this summer,” Del Zotto said after finishing his on-ice skating tests today at Day 2 of the Rangers’ training camp (players do repetition sprints back and forth across the ice, board to board six times, then go the length of the ice, goal line to goal line). “I’ve never worked that hard. It was a long summer but I was just focusing myself on the upcoming year.

“I’m pretty self-motivated,” Del Zotto added. “Especially after last year. This is a huge year for me. I’m all business.”

Del Zotto said the aim is to bring back the swagger he had as a rookie while not making the repeated on-ice mistakes he made last season (long, bad passes), not to mention correct some off-ice mistakes (no doubt, stay on the right side of being confident, as coach John Tortorella might put it). “I’m not going to be given ice time because of what I did my rookie year on the power play.”

Tortorella said he expected Del Zotto to have a good camp but also said yesterday Del Zotto probably should have been sent to the AHL for seasoning as a rookie. Del Zotto had two goals and nine assists in 47 games for the Rangers last season then missed Connecticut’s final 25 games after breaking his finger on March 2.

“There’s definitely a lot less media down there,” Del Zotto said of the AHL, adding it was good in the sense that he received more ice time when healthy - 36 minutes in his first game. “Going down at first was pretty humbling, pretty frustrating. It took a little time to get used to. In the summer I was motivated to ramp it up and get back here.”

In addition to conditioning work, Del Zotto said he also worked on his shot this offseason, knowing that Brad Richards’ presence with the Rangers means if he earns a spot on their power play, it won’t be as the first-unit quarterback. Instead, he’ll play on the point as a shooting option.

Del Zotto said he will wear extra padding in his glove this season to protect against further injury. He also said he expected to heal quicker “with my young blood” but he just had to remain patient.

Del Zotto’s chances of sticking with the Rangers - and he’s likely competing against Tim Erixon and, possibly, Brendan Bell, for a roster spot - may be greater if Mike Sauer is unavailable. Sauer, suffering with tendinitis in his right knee, did not skate for a second straight day.
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About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.